Skylight is a real-time aircraft visualization tool that projects planes overhead onto a ceiling using an RTL-SDR radio receiver and a projector.
The tool solves the problem of making invisible air traffic visible and tangible by decoding ADS-B signals from aircraft and rendering their positions, trajectories, and metadata onto a ceiling-mounted display. It works by receiving radio signals from a cheap RTL-SDR dongle, parsing aircraft position and flight data, and projecting this information in real time onto a surface above the viewer. The visualization includes the aircraft's airline, type, and destination, rendered against a pure-black background so only the planes and sky elements are illuminated. The tool also overlays the actual sky—sun, moon, bright stars, constellations, and live satellite positions including the ISS—all calculated for the viewer's geographic location and current time.
Skylight suits anyone interested in aviation visualization, interactive art installations, or ambient ceiling displays. The reference implementation targets San Francisco International Airport, but the tool works anywhere; users can set their location via a control panel and import airport runways by ICAO or IATA code using worldwide airport data. The project is designed around accessible hardware: a Raspberry Pi and a standard projector paired with an inexpensive RTL-SDR receiver. A ready-made kit is in development with crowdfunding planned.
The project shows active development with recent commits and ongoing refinement of core features. The codebase is written primarily in TypeScript and uses React for the control interface, indicating a focus on maintainable, modern web-based tooling. The README demonstrates attention to user experience through detailed setup guidance and configuration options accessible from a phone-based control panel. The project maintains a public-facing landing page separate from the repository, suggesting the creator is building toward a commercial or community-driven release rather than treating this as a one-off hobby project.
